Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare

Ok, I am sure to get a few comments on either side of the equation for my thoughts on this one. Let me first state that my opinions have nothing to do with either Conservative or Liberal opinion. They are simply MY thoughts on the subject. I tend to feel when it comes to this subject a significant amount of voting Americans tend to have opinions that in some way reflect towards my own, but the majority of those cannot separate their political ideologies from their own opinions. That is one of the divisive unfortunate trends that we are faced with these days.

There are some things that I like about socialized medicine, I am just not sure they should be spelled out in the 1800+ pages, to paraphrase then Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, “you can find out what is in it after it passes”. I am not sure, even two years after it was signed by the President that anyone, outside of the bean-counters, knows exactly what possible pains almost 2000 pages of Congressional language and pork belly politics may be contained within.

When it comes to some things I believe should be law, without question, in regards to medical coverage, children and retirees get the lions-share of the benefit. I have a soft spot for children, they are brought into this world and face the consequences of their parentage. They know no better and often suffer because of the inadequacies of their family and a medical system that is unjust and under-funded. They deserve the opportunity to receive the same medical care as anyone who can purchase their own insurance and select the provider of their choice. Children should not have to visit a “free clinic” with all the negative connotations that term comes with, it should be one of the inherent rights of childhood, regardless of where they were born and to whom they owe their genetics.

Anyone who is eligible for retirement and collecting social security, should not have to worry about one dime of their limited income going towards medical coverage, no matter how extensive their needs. They have already put in their time, they deserve to live out their life with as high a quality of life as possible. A society that does nothing to take care of the prior generations will not maintain their own quality of life.

Anyone that has a disability, regardless if it is something they were born with or happened later in life, should be able to live their lives as close as possible to someone without. The special needs should be something that can be provided to those that need it. The parents of children should not have to over-extend their lives to give a little bit of quality to the life of their child. A firefighter that has extensive burns should be allowed to live their entire life as pain-free as possible with access to any procedure that can return them to a proximity to their original life. Someone who loses a limb(s) in a car accident should have access to the highest quality and latest technology in prosthesis, without wondering what they will need to do without in their lives.

I do not believe, however, that it is an unalienable right for every American to have medical coverage just handed to them as a matter of law. There are a few reasons for this, the main one being that I do not feel I should have to pay for the long term damage as a result of your poor life choices. I work hard for my money, I provide for my family and I am fortunate that I have had a career which provides medical and dental. I have sacrificed in order to provide those benefits. I have put myself at risk on numerous occasions, lost valuable time with my loved ones and seen friends die and suffer wounds; all to provide for my family. During all this time providing for my family, I have been part of an organization that defends the right of Americans to be Americans. That means they can be productive American or they can be a constant drain on the system or some variation that falls in between. When I retire in just a couple of years, I will still have to find another career, it is unrealistic to believe I can support my family on my pension, so I will have to get out there and bust ass, along with my wife to provide what we need, not only to my family that I work so hard for, but to how many others that choose to sit on their ass, pop out children they cannot support,smoke cigarettes, live on McDonalds and need to ride a Rascal scooter around Walmart not because they have a mobile infirmity, but because their legs cannot stand the weight they allowed themselves to accumulate.

Social medicine will only ever be fair in a society that has a sense of fairness from all parties or from a society that will allow itself to be regulated to the point where the citizens do not live lives which have factors that they can simply avoid by NOT DOING THEM! We are quickly moving to a world in which WALL-E is not far off the mark.

There are some additional things I think the Act has that have a ton of merit. The pre-existing condition clause should stay in place. I do believe that medical coverage should at least be affordable and the charges while under medical care should not exceed the purchase price of the same material from off of a pharmacy shelf. There is no reason for a $30 Tylenol, when I can buy 120 for under $10. Cotton 4×4’s and medical tape should never be higher than the bulk price at Sam’s Club. Hospitals will give you an itemized list, it is a tragedy that the cost of treatment need be so high. What was once a noble profession has turned into a career of profit. This is not to demean the good works of doctors and nurses out there, but the industry thy provide their services within could stand some further scrutiny.

I am not sure how the Supreme Court is going to rule on the act here in the next few weeks. One thing I am pretty sure of is, the verdict will be released and spun in hopes to satisfy someone’s political agenda. Sadly, the politics involved will not benefit the people the act was originally passed to help in the first place. Typical of Washington and politics in general it is about the gamesmanship and how well the spotlight can make you look. You end up with image without substance. I wonder how much it cost two years ago to print 1800+ pages a minimum of 535 times and how that money may have been better spent actually serving the country.